James Gunn’s Superman finally gained some ground on streaming, though the bigger picture still isn’t great. With Nielsen’s second-week numbers now in, Superman on HBO Max pulled 569 million minutes during the week of September 22-28, ranking #2 on the Movies chart.
That brings the total to 1.08 billion minutes over ten days, an average of 108 million per day. The film’s first three days delivered 513 million minutes (171 million per day), while the following seven days slowed to 81 million per day — a steep drop but a typical streaming pattern as initial curiosity fades.
The good news for Gunn is that Superman at least managed to pass Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam. Black Adam opened stronger at 632 million minutes in its first three days but collapsed quickly, failing to make Nielsen’s Top 10 in the same second-week window when the lowest title had 499 million minutes. It later reappeared the following week with 333 million minutes.
Superman Edges Marvel’s Latest Streaming Hits
Superman’s average viewing also surpassed Marvel’s most recent Disney+ releases, but is that saying much considering the current state of the MCU?
Captain America: Brave New World started strong with 750 million minutes over four days and followed with 304 million in its next week for a total of 1.05 billion minutes across eleven days — averaging 96 million per day.
Thunderbolts debuted with 702 million minutes over five days and added 368 million the following week, totaling 1.07 billion minutes over twelve days, an average of 89 million per day.
That means Gunn’s Superman outperformed both Marvel films in overall daily viewing, even if it still trailed them in early buzz and total opening strength.
A Cautious Win for Gunn’s DCU
While Superman ultimately topped both Black Adam and Marvel’s recent releases on daily averages (Black Adam and both Marvel movies are flops), it’s still far from a breakout success.
The film’s numbers show heavy front-loading and a quick drop-off, mirroring its box office run.
With a $615 million global gross with a low international turnout, Superman’s streaming uptick looks more like a mild rebound than a genuine recovery for Gunn’s DCU.
